Amid the tense atmosphere, the regional municipalities bordering Gaza decided not to cancel schools and to go ahead with planned Purim celebrations.

Haim Yalin, the head of the Eshkol Regional Municipality, told Army Radio on Friday that the residents in his area did not desire to see the tensions escalate as they did prior to Operation Pillar of Defense in 2013.

"We want a daily routine and not an emergency routine; we want the quiet that we have had here over the last year and a quarter," he said.

"The children are dressed up for Purim and have waited for the holiday so much, we do not want the holiday to be ruined for them, and we won't allow the rockets to ruin their holiday," Yalin added.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.